Jo

Jo Eberhardt is a writer of speculative fiction, mother to two adorable boys, and lover of words and stories.

Much as the happy drunk becomes more social and friendly under the influence of alcohol, Jo says she becomes more social and friendly under the influence of words. Written or spoken, fact or fiction, it doesn’t matter. She’ll take her hit wherever she can get it.

This fascination with words isn’t new. She remembers a night when she was 4-years-old. Her mum and dad were in the kitchen doing the dishes, her baby brother was in bed asleep, and she was drawing quietly in the lounge room. Suddenly it hit her: She didn’t have to wait for her parents to read her a book. She could make her own. She couldn’t read or write, but that was a minor setback. The lure of books and stories was too strong for such a trifling matter to stand in the way. So she took two pieces of paper, folded them in half to form a 4-page book, and started “writing.” She presented this masterpiece to her parents, told them she was going to be author, and her fate was sealed.

More than thirty years have passed since then. She’s grown up and experienced life. She’s worked a variety of jobs: She’s shelved books, made ice-cream sundaes, and sold holidays. She’s married, had children, and divorced. But her love for words and stories is stronger than ever.

Jo lives in rural Queensland, Australia, and spends her non-writing time worrying that the neighbor’s cows will one day succeed in sneaking into her yard and eating everything in her veggie garden.